Public Space Protection Order

LONDON (AFP) - A ban on pro-life protests outside an abortion clinic in London came into force on Monday (April 23) in a first that pro-choice campaigners hope will set a precedent for the country.

The local authority in Ealing, west London, imposed an exclusion zone after claims that women and staff at the Marie Stopes clinic were being intimidated and harassed by vigils that have been held outside the building for more than 20 years.

At least eight local authorities in England are examining whether to follow Ealing’s lead

Sarah Marsh
Mon 23 Apr 2018

Eight councils in England are considering setting up abortion clinic buffer zones after pro-choice groups said the number of “intimidating” protests was on the rise.

Across the country, 42 vigils and protests have taken place between 2017 and 2018, according to figures compiled by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). They were led by a number of anti-abortion groups including the Good Counsel Network and 40 Days for Life.

We should rein in abortion clinic protests without threatening free speech

Telegraph View
11 April 2018

Free speech is a precious commodity that we constrain at our peril. But when its exercise hurts or intimidates others, what then? And who should set the boundaries? In Ealing, west London, confrontations have taken place outside an abortion clinic between so-called pro-life protesters and women attending for advice or terminations.

The local council has responded by imposing a “safe space” buffer zone, within which no protests are permitted. It is using a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to stop vigils being held outside the building. This is a contentious use of powers introduced to curb anti-social behaviour. The concept of “safe spaces” is associated with shutting down debate in universities where speakers whose views some do not share are denied a platform.

Why buffer zones around abortion clinics do not threaten the right to protest
February 13, 2018
Arianne Shahvisi

Ealing council in West London could soon set up a buffer zone to limit the harassment faced by patients of a local abortion clinic. The clinic is run by the reproductive health charity Marie Stopes, one of many abortion providers across the UK regularly targeted by anti-abortion protestors. In mid-January, councillors voted to launch a public consultation about the creation of a Public Space Protection Order, or buffer zone, around the clinic.

Common forms of anti-abortion protest include public prayer, hymns, and chanting. Protesters also distribute leaflets exaggerating the risks of abortion, display posters including images of aborted foetuses, strew

Ealing Council made a monumental move to stop the intimidating vigils at the west London Marie Stopes clinic

A London Borough has become the first local authority in Britain to potentially ban anti-choice protesters from outside an abortion clinic's premises - a move that would protect women from harassment and trauma, as they access vital, legal healthcare.

Councillors in Ealing voted majority, with two abstentions, to take “all necessary actions within its powers, utilising all necessary resources, to prevent anti-abortion protesters from intimidating and harassing women”, at the Marie Stopes clinic on Matlock Lane, west London.

US-style abortion battles loom in UK amid claims of intimidation
As street tensions increase, pro-choice group says a London council must curb ‘harassment’ of women at Marie Stopes clinic

Jo Griffin
Saturday 7 October 2017

A London council will decide on Tuesday whether to pursue a public space protection order to prevent the harassment and intimidation of women accessing abortion services at the Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing, west London.

In the first case of its kind, Ealing council will debate the move after a petition from local pro-choice group, Sister Supporter, which demanded action to stop anti-abortion protesters holding vigils six days a week outside the clinic and approaching patients.

Government urged to tackle anti-abortion protests in UK after women are confronted outside clinics

Some women have been reduced to tears, while others have decided not to enter the clinic after being confronted by a barrage of abuse, campaigners say

May Bulman Social Affairs Correspondent
Oct 6, 2017

The Government is being urged to change legislation amid rising concern over anti-abortion “vigils” confronting women outside abortion clinics across the UK.

Women entering clinics to access abortion services or pregnancy and family planning advice are being confronted with large images of foetuses and pro-life campaigners urging them to change their minds, often wielding large images of foetuses.